Last year they put in 30 titles. This year, only 25, bringing the total number of recordings ensconced in the Grammy Hall of Fame to 906.

What was selected this time? Well, for a change, not another Beatles single.

The British Invasion band of choice for 2012 is instead the Rolling Stones, honored for the shaggy brilliance of 1972's double-album Exile on Main St., widely regarded by virtually every serious rock fan as one of the very best collections ever made. It's the fourth Stones album to be recognized, behind Let It Bleed (inducted 2005), Beggars Banquet and Sticky Fingers (both honored in 1999).

For those keeping count: that's three behind the Beatles. In terms of albums, that is. When it comes to singles, it's Beatles 8, Stones 1, for "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," picked in 1998.